


Bending the Light: 5 Sam and Cam's that weren't

by zats_clear



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-06
Updated: 2011-02-06
Packaged: 2017-10-15 11:11:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/160224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zats_clear/pseuds/zats_clear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There I was, happily working on Fly-by, a story about how Sam and Cam have known each other for like, forever, when my mind kept jumping to all the instances that never ever happened.  No way, no how.  Thanks go to muck_a_luck for indulging my whims when I felt I just had to inflict these on someone!  Posting unbeta'd.  All mistakes are my own (and I am not above fixing them when they are pointed out)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bending the Light: 5 Sam and Cam's that weren't

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Fly-by](https://archiveofourown.org/works/160221) by [zats_clear](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zats_clear/pseuds/zats_clear). 



Sam could get lost looking into those beautiful blue eyes. Her fingers gently stroked through soft hair as she hummed quietly. His parents had been completely against him enlisting in the Air Force. Her parents made it clear they disagreed with the two of them getting married and Sam leaving the Air Force Academy. 

 _Stubborn. Willful. Young._  These and other words had been thrown around in heated family discussions over the past seven months. 

Sam smiled to herself.  _Determined. Motivated. Strong._  Those were her words. She'd finish school at the local community college. It might take a little longer but she'd do it. Cam had already started taking classes three nights a week. When they had their degrees, both of them would apply to Officer Training School and be commissioned.  _Different path, same destination, Mom._  

She heard the screen door slam. Was it 5pm already? "We're back here," she called out. Cam's boots echoed off the walls in the narrow hallway leading back to the bedroom. 

"How are my best girls this fine evening," he murmured, leaning over Sam's shoulder to capture Ashlyn's tiny hand between his fingers. 

  
********************* 

Dr Carter sat down on the hard leather sofa in the General's waiting room. The meeting she was about to go into was not going to be much more comfortable than this godawful couch. The Oversight Committee in Washington was insisting they bring their budget in line with Congressional expectations while simultaneously demanding more to show from the years the program had been in place. Sam fully anticipated being asked to cut a significant number of people from her staff at the SGC. 

She sighed, noting she was five minutes early, and picked up a copy of the Air Force Times to read while she waited. It hurt, but she always read The Human Toll, the section of the weekly paper containing pictures of service members lost in the operations overseas. They gave their lives in support of their country's ideals and way of life, whether they agreed with the current action or not. The least she could do was to honor them with remembrance. 

 _Army Sgt 1st Class Casey Farlow, 29, Mar 25, Waygul, Afghanistan  
Army Pfc Keiran Miller, 18, Mar 28, Barikowt, Afghanistan   
Air Force Maj Cameron Mitchell, 32, Mar 28 Sabari, Afghanistan_ 

The dark paneled door opened. "Dr Carter?" General Hammond gestured wearily, indicating he was ready for her. She carefully folded the newspaper and returned it to the neatly fanned magazines on the table and followed him into the office. 

  
********************* 

Wendy stared after her teenage son as he stormed past her and down the hallway. She looked questioningly at her husband, following in Cam's violent wake. 

"He's colorblind, Wendy," Frank said with sad resignation.  _Slam._  The door to Cam's bedroom shook the house. "He can't fly for the military."

She leaned against the wall, unsure as to how to take the news. In her mother's mind, it was a raincloud with one heck of a silver lining. Her son had been eat-sleep-drinking the idea flying military jets since he could focus on the sky, and there was no way he'd be Air Force if it wasn't in a cockpit. One less of her boys to worry about. 

The boy in question burst out of his room clad in shorts, ripped t-shirt and running shoes. He stalked past his parents, eyes focused on a future that wasn't there. 

Wendy reached out, "It'll be ok. God has another plan for you, honey." 

Cameron turned sharply. "I don't much care for what God has in mind right now," he said, sounding suddenly older, more bitter, than his 16 years. 

 _"Cameron,"_ his mother admonished, starting after him as he broke into a sprint. 

"Let him go, Wendy," Frank said, pulling her back into the house. "Let him go." 

  
************************ 

"Mom," Sam said, trying to wedge the word into the flood of motherly guilt pouring from the phone. Jack looked up and smiled, sad and amused at the same time. 

 _"Mom,"_  she tried again, raising her eyebrows and grimacing in the general direction of her fiance. "We just can't leave right now. There are too many things that need to be wrapped up and Thanksgiving is not going to work." Jack cocked his head and raised a quizzical eyebrow of his own. 

"I know, I know. But we can see you at Christmas," Sam winced at the lie. 

"I love you too, Mom." 

"Yes, I'll tell him." 

She hung up the phone and turned to Jack. "She doesn't really believe me." 

"You were never a good liar," he replied. "Don't knock it. That's a good quality." 

"Well, how do you tell someone the world is going to end before Monday?" 

Sgt Harriman stuck his head in the door as he knocked. "Sorry, sir, Dr Carter," he apologized, glancing at Sam as well. "NORAD has just picked up Apophis' ships on radar." 

***************************** 

Jenny's light giggle carried across the campground to where Sam stood staring at the bus' engine. She pursed her lips, brows furrowed together, as she watched Jenny tilt her head to look up at Daniel from under her lashes. He blushed slightly, smiled, and unconsciously continued his appreciative stare at what was quite obviously on offer there before him. 

"What part of 'don't change the past'" do you guys not get," Sam muttered under her breath, frustrated with her team. She'd already stopped her CO from revealing more information than he should about current events, Teal'c was just...curious. About everything. And now Daniel was sweeping little Miss Hippy Chick off her feet. Soon to be literally, it would appear. They were walking down to the nearby stream and words like "cooling" and "clean up" were drifting across to her and  _oh my god,_  she could see where this was going and it had to  _stop right now!_  

"Jenny," she called out brightly. "Why don't you come over here and I can show you a few tricks to keep the engine working." Sam gestured widely, using enthusiasm and helpfulness to effectively douse the fire beginning to kindle across from her. Reluctantly, Jenny Mitchell trudged over to Sam for an engine tutorial, looking back at Daniel as he continued down to the water to wash in what was a still an interesting but now less limited gene pool.


End file.
